Elevator safety device



Oct. 19, 1965 R. w. SMITH ELEVATOR SAFETY DEVICE ww .m f V S #4 7 /A/ mW. M R f.. no): 8 1 -I B 4 V 3 inw 0 Uhu LIN. fu ,lud M. m. T w 9 0V. 3Ll 69 9 I2 5 \\NNNNN ENS JWMM ATTORNEYS United States Patent O 3,212,607ELEVATOR SAFETY DEVICE Ray W. Smith, BOX 43, Oak Hill, Dublin, N.H.Filed Jan. 10, 1963, Ser. No. 250,673 11 Claims. '(Cl. IS7-61) Thisinvention relates to means f-or unlocking outer landing doors of anelevator wel-l in the event of an emergency, as where, for example, theelevator cab is stopped between iloors so that the .automatic unlockingdoor devices are inoperative.

In al1 of the present day residential and commercial elevatorinstallations, the outer door which closes olf the elevator well from alanding is normally locked against opening except when the elevator cabis opposite said landing. This is a safety feature to prevent a 4personat a landing from accidentally opening the outer d-oor when there is nocab int-o which he may step. When an elevator cab stops opposite aparticular landing, the door is automatically unlocked so that it may beopened either manually or by power means. On the other hand, shouldthere be a power failure or other emergency, the cab may be trappedlbetween floors so lthat the .automatic unlocking mechanism becomesinoperative, which thereby prevents an occoupant from opening .a landingdoor either above or below the cab position.

The pre-sent invention obviates the above described deliciency of theprior art by providing mechanical actuator structure located in theelevator well and extending lengthwise thereof which is accessible to acab occupant n-o matter what the position of the elevator cab. Thisactuator structure may be moved by the cab occupant and in turn isoperatively connected to each landing door loc-k mechanism so as tomechanically unlock same. Consequently, the elevator cab need not be innear proximity with the door lock mechanism.

It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide emergencyelevator landing d-oor unlocking means whereby a landing door may bemechanically unlocked from any position in the elevator well.

Br-oadly speaking an impor-tant object of the invention is to alsoprovide emergency actuating means for .allowing a cab occupant t-ooverride an automatic door lock mechanism from any position in the well.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a rod located inthe well and extending lengthwise thereof which has connected theretoplurality of handles spaced apart for grasping by a cab occupant, withsaid r-od being mounted for rotational movement such that it canmechanically unlock the landing doors.

One further `object of the present invention is the provision of anadditional closure fastener for eaoh landing door such that the door maybe opened after unlocking by mere pushing or pulling pressure.

These and other objects of the present invention will rbe lapparentduring the course of the following description, which is to be read inconjunction with the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic representation of an elevat-or installationincorporating this invention;

`FIGURES 2A, 2B, and 2C are different views of a preferred embodiment ofan 'actuating handle used in moving the emergency actuator structure;

FIGURES 3A and 3B are different views sh-owing how a conventionalautomatic door lock mechanism may be operatively connected .with theemergency actuator structure;

FIGURE 4 and FIGURE 5 show different embodiments of additional closurefasteners which may be used in a landing door.

3,212,607 Patented Oct. 19, 1965 ICC FIGURE 1 is a simpliiied view inelevation of a typical installation utilizing the present invention.Several doors or landings 10, 12, 14, etc. are shown opening into anelevator well 16 in which move-s a cab 18. As is customary, a certainsmall distance is maintained between the front wall 20 of cab 18 and thefront wall 22 of well 16. In order that this gap will not be visible tothe cab occupant when the cab is directly opposite a landing, thresholdportions 24, 26 and 28 can extend from each landing if so desired.

Each landing is closed off from well 16 by doors whose jambs 30, 32, 34,etc, are shown in FIGURE 1. An individual lock mechanism 36, 38, etc. isoperatively associated with each landing door such that said d-oor isl-ocked from opening unless cab 18 is opposite its associated landing.Thus, whenever cab 18 is opposite a landing such as 12, lock mechanism36 senses this relative position in 4any well known way so las to unlockthe landing door .and permit its opening either manually or -by motormeans. However, if cab 18 is displaced from any one of the landings, .asshown in FIGURE 1, then each lock mechanism 36, 38, etc. remainsunactuated in order to prevent the landing doors from being opened.

The present invention provides, in its preferred embodiment, amechanical .actuator structure 40 which extends lengthwise of well 16.Structure 40 is mounted for movement to an operative position, saidmovement being effected by a cab occupant who has access thereto. Aplurality of .actuating handles 42, 44, 46, 48, 50, etc. Aare providedfor use in moving structure 40 and .are spaced .along the length of thewell so that a cab occupant has access to lat least one of them nomatter where the cab stops in the Well. It the cab has a trap door inits ceiling for access to its top then this can be taken int-oconsideration when determining the proper spacing. Each actuating handleis operatively connected to structure 40 so that by grasping and movingthe former, structure 40 is moved to its operative position. Amechanical connection 52, 54, etc. is made between structure 40 and eachof the lock mechani-sms 36, 38, etc. This mechanical connection is suchthat whenever structure 40 is moved t-o its operative position, the lockmechanisms .are mechanically unlocked no matter what the cab locationwithin well 16. In other Words, the movement of structure 40 t-o i-tsoperative position overrides the automatic feature normally present ineach lock mechanism, so that the landing doors may be opened for anemergency escape by ya cab occupant. The present invention may 'beadapted for use with either sliding, swinging, or accordion type landingdoors.

vIn the preferred embodiment of the invention, the actuator structure 40takes the form of a rod mounted in said well for rotation about itslongitudinal axis to its operative position. FIGURES 2A, 2B .and 2C showsuch a rod 56 which is mounted in the well by a plurality of eye bolts58 which are secured to the well wall. Rotation of rod 56 to itsoperative position can be effected by grasping and moving any one of .aplurality of actuating handles. In FIGURES 2A-2C, a preferred embodimentof one such actuating handle is generally indicated by reference numeral60. Handle `60 serves as a link by being pivoted near its lower end tothe front wall 22 of well 16 by means of a stud 62 extending from saidfront wall. A knob 64 is attached to the ltop of link 60 to facilitategrasping of the handle by a cab occupant. As best shown in the plan Viewof FIGURE 2C, link 60 is generally located between the cab 118 .and thelanding wall of well -16 so that it can be reached by the cab occupantwithout too much diflculty. The exa-ct location of link 60 with respectto cab 18 is not otherwise crucial except that .it should be Iaccessibleto the cab occupant with minimum inconvenience. The lower end of link 60is pivoted to one end of a horizontal link 66 by means of pin 68. Theother end of link 66 in turn is connected to rod 56 by means of aprotrusion 70 from rod 56 which operatively connects the two. Protrusion70 and link 66 are so connected that their relative movements cannotcause binding therebetween. This function may be conveniently provided.by making an aperture 72 in link 66 large with respect to the diameterof protrusion 70, so that the latter can swivel therein during anyrotation of rod 56. Consequently, it is `seen that when the hand knob 64is moved to the right in FIGURE 2 A, link 66 moves in the oppositedirection to rotate rod 56 in a counterclockwise direction when viewedfrom above (FIGURE 2C). This counterclockwise ro-tation moves -pipe 56to an operative position whereby the llanding doors are unlocked, aswill be subsequently described. The primary advantage derived lfnorn theillustrated handle mechanism is that angular rotation of the rod can beeffect-ed by moving the actuat-ing handle in a direction parallel to thelong dimension of the gap existing between the cab `and front Well wall.In this way, accessibility and operation of the actuating handle by thecab occupant can be assured without an undue gap width. Furthermore, thepivoted link arrangement provides multiplication of force for therotation of rod 56 which may prove advantageous if bhe cab occupant is achild, woman, or inrmed person.

For some installations, it may be advantageous to normally maintain rod56 in its unoperative position, such as is shown in FIGURES 2A and 2C,except while an actuating handle is being held in -its operatingposition by a cab occupant. Such biasing means may take the form of aspring 74 one end of which is connected to link 60 and the other end ofwhich is connected to a protrusion 76 which extends from well wall 22.As viewed in FIG- URE 2A spring 74 is holding link 60 in its inoperativeposition, but link 60 can be moved by superior force to effectcounterclockwise rotation of rod 56. A stop 78 protruding from wall 22may also be provided to prevent such spring 74 from moving link 60 andhandle 64 beyond the desired position.

FIGURES 3A and 3B show plan and elevation views, respectively, in thevicinity of a landing door lock mechanism. There are many conventionalautomatic lock mechanisms which can be easily adapted for operativemechanical connection with common actuator structure such as rotatablerod 56. One such lock mechanism, particularly useful where a swingingdoor is involved, is that shown in FIGURES 3A and 3B. This lock unit 80may be located at the top of each landing door jamb as shown in FIGUREl. The associated swinging door 82 has an extension 84 at its free endwhich enters a corresponding opening in unit St) when the door isclosed. This extension 84 is gripped in the closed position by internallock mechanism not part of the present invention. A shaft 86 isconnected to this internal lock mechanism for causing said grippingaction when it is rotated to its most clockwise position as viewed inFIGURE 3B. When rotated counterclockwise, however, shaft 86 causes therelease of extension 84. Shaft 86 in turn is connected with an arm 88which extends inwardly of the well. Arm 88 is provided with a roller 90at its outer end which is adapted to contact a slide 92 carried by cab18. In FIGURE 3B, it is assumed that cab 18 is opposite a landing sothat slide or cam 92 has the position shown relative to roller 90. Forthis cab and slide position, roller 90 is pushed towards Well wall 22 sothat arm 88 rotates shaft 86 counterclockwise. This internally releasesextension 84 and thus unlocks door 82 which may thereafter be openedmanually. However, when cab 18 is displaced from a landing, the slopingsurface of slide 92 permits roller 90 and arm 88 to assume the dot-dashposition shown in FIGURE 3B, since shaft 86 Iis internally biased withinunit 80 in a manner to maintain its clockwise position in the absence ofa counter force applied to roller 90.

Therefore, for other than a cab location opposite the landing, arm 88takes a position which in turn prevents extension 84 from beingwithdrawn from lock unit 80. All that is necessary to unlock a door inthe absence of a cab is some provision to move arm 88 downward so as torotate shaft 86 in its counterclockwise direction. This function isprovided by an extension 94 from rod 56 which makes contact with arm 88whenever rod 56 is rotated to its operative position. Extension 94 bearsagainst arm S8 and moves it just as if slide 92 were making contact withroller 90.

In most, if not all, swinging door installations, a conventionalspring-biased latch bolt lock is also provided at the free end of thedoor, said latch bolt being retracted by a door knob on either side.Thus, once the automatic lock mechanism has been actuated to releaseprotrusion 84, the cab occupant must still move a door knob to retractthe latch bolt in order to open the landing door. The purpose of suchadditional closure fastener means is to insure that the door remainstightly closed except when it is deliberately opened for passage, sincemeans are usually provided which prevent power from being supplied tothe lift motor whenever a landing door is partially ajar. However, withsuch a conventional latch bolt closure fastener, a cab occupant wouldstill need to be adjacent the door knob even though he had managed todisable the automatic lock mechanism by the emergency actuator rod. Asimple and novel solution to this problem is merely to reverse theconventional latch bolt unit so that the curved surface of the latchbolt faces the landing. This structure is shown in FIGURE 4 which is asectional plan view of a swinging door 82 provided with a springbiasedlatch bolt unit 96 having rotatable knobs 98 and 100 on either sidethereof. The latch bolt 102, however, has its curved exterior surface104 facing the landing, so that it is necessary to move the knobs inorder to retract bolt 102 when the door is to be closed. When in theclosed position, it can be seen that mere pushing or pulling on the doorwill cause latch bolt 104 to retract as the door is opened. It istherefore unnecessary to move knob 98 in order to exit from the elevatorwall after the door has been unlocked. The conventional biasing of latchbolt 102 to its extended position still insures that door 82 is kepttightly shut in the absence of pulling or pushing pressure. Analternative closer fastener structure 106 is shown in FIGURE 5 which maybe used in lieu of the reversed latch bolt unit, or which may be used inaddition thereto so as to provide additional retention of the door inits closed position. This fastener 106 is a standard spring-biased ballcatch which is mounted in the door and makes contact with a receptacle103 in the door jamb so as to frictionally maintain the door in itsclosed position except when pulling or pushing pressure is applied tothe door.

Although a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shownand/or described, modications thereto may be obvious to those skilled inthe art Without departure from the novel principles recited in theappended claims.

I claim:

1. In an elevator installation including a cab movable -in a Well whichin turn is closed off from a plurality of its landings by doors, thecombination comprising:

(a) individual door lock mechanism at each of plural landings which isautomatically unlocked or locked according to whether the cab isopposite to or displaced from its said landing, respectively; and

(b) unitary emergency actuator means located adjacent the well andmounted solely on the well wall and accessible to a cab occupant, forany location of the cab in the well, which is operatively connected toall of said door lock mechanisms for unlocking same upon actuation by acab occupant.

2. In an elevator installation including a cab movable in a well whichin turn is closed oi from a plurality of its landings by doors, thecombination comprising:

(a) individual door lock mechanism at each of plural landings which isautomatically unlocked or locked according to whether the cab isopposite to or displaced from its said landing, respectively;

(b) unitary mechanical actuator means located adjacent the well andextending lengthwise thereof for accessibility by a cab occupant, forany location of the cab in the well, which is mounted for rotationalmovement by a cab occupant to an operative position; and

(c) an individual mechanical connection between said actuator means andeach of said door lock mechanisms for unlocking all of said door lockmechanisms when said actuator means is rotated to said operativeposition.

3. The combination according to claim 2 wherein said actuator meansincludes a rod extending lengthwise of the Well which is mounted forangular rotation about its longitudinal axis to said operative position.

4. In an elevator installation including a cab movable in a Well whichin turn is closed ol from a plurality of its landings by doors, thecombination comprising:

(a) individual door lock mechanism at each of plural landings which isautomatically unlocked or locked according to whether the cab isopposite to or displaced from its said landing, respectively;

(b) unitary mechanical actuator structure located adjacent the well andmounted solely on the well wall and extending lengthwise thereof whichis mounted for movement to an operative position;

(c) an individual mechanical connection between said actuator structureand each of said door lock mechanisms for unlocking all of said doorlock mechanisms when said actuator structure is moved to said operativeposition; and

(d) a plurality of actuating means located in the well for accessibilityby a cab occupant and spaced apart along the length of said well, eachsaid actuating means being operatively connected to said actuatorstructure for individually moving same to said operative position, wheresaid spacing between actuating means is such that at least one can bereached by a cab occupant for any location of the cab in the well.

5. The combination according to claim 4 wherein said actuator structurecomprises a rod extending lengthwise of the well which is mounted forangular rotation about its longitudinal axis to said operative position.

6. The combination according to claim 4 wherein said actuator structurecomprises a rod extending lengthwise of the well which is mounted forangular rotation about its longitudinal axis to said operative position,and each said actuating means includes mechanical linkage which issupported by the well wall.

7. In an elevator installation including a cab movable in a well whichin turn is closed off from a plurality of its landings by doors, thecombination comprising:

(a) individual door lock mechanism at each of plural landings whichincludes an element extending therefrom inwardly of said well, saidelement being normally maintained at a first position but movable to asecond position for causing its lock mechanism to lock or unlock,respectively, the associated landing door;

(b) means carried by the cab for contacting and moving each lock elementto its said second position whenever the cab is opposite the associatedlanding;

(c) unitary mechanical actuator means including a rod located adjacentthe well and extending lengthwise thereof for accessibility by a caboccupant, for any location of the cab in the well, said rod beingmounted for angular rotation about its longitudinal axis by a caboccupant to an operative position; and

(d) individual mechanical means carried by said actuator means at eachsaid landing for contacting and moving each lock element to its saidsecond position whenever said rod is rotated to said operative position.

8. In an elevator installation including a cab movable in a well whichin turn is closed olf from a plurality of its landings by doors, thecombination comprising:

(a) individual door lock mechanism at each of plural landings whichincludes an element extending therefrom inwardly of said well, saidelement being normally maintained at a first position but movable to asecond position for causing its lock mechanism to lock or unlock,respectively, the associated landing door;

(b) means carried by the cab for contacting and moving each lock elementto its said second position whenever the cab is opposite the associatedlandings;

(c) unitary mechanical actuator structure including a rod locatedadjacent the Well and extending lengthwise thereof which is mounted forangular rotation about its longitudinal axis between rst and secondpositions;

(d) individual mechanical means carried by said actuator structure ateach said landing for contacting and moving each lock element to itssaid second position whenever said rod is rotated to its said secondposition; and

(e) a plurality of actuating handles located in the well foraccessibility by a cab occupant and spaced apart along the length ofsaid well, each said actuating handle including mechanical linkage whichis supported by the well wall and being operatively connected to saidactuator structure for individually rotating said rod to its said secondposition, where said spacing between handles is such that at least onecan be grasped by a cab occupant for any location of the cab in thewell.

9. In an elevator installation including a cab movable in a well whichin turn is closed otf from a plurality of its landings by doors, thecombination comprising:

(a) individual door lock mechanism at each of plural landings whichincludes an element extending therefrom inwardly `of said well, saidelement being normally maintained at a first position but movable to asecond position for causing its lock mechanism to lock or unlock,respectively, the associated landing door;

(b) means carried by the cab for contacting and moving each lock elementto its said second position Whenever the cab is opposite the associatedlanding;

(c) a rod extending lengthwise of the well which is mounted for angularrotation about its longitudinal axis between iirst and second positions;

(d) individual mechanical means carried by said rod at each said landingfor contacting and moving each lock element to its said second positionwhenever said rod is moved to its said second position; and

(e) a plurality of actuating handles located in the well foraccessibility by a cab occupant and spaced apart along the length ofsaid well, each said actuating handle including a iirst link pivotallyconnected to the well wall, and a second link one end of which ispivotally connected to said iirst link and the other end of which isconnected to said rod for rotating same to its said second position,where said spacing between handles is such that at least one can begrasped by a cab occupant for any location of the cab in the well.

10. In an elevator installation including a cab movable in a well whichin turn is closed oi from a plurality of its landings yby doors, thecombination comprising:

(a) individual door lock mechanism at each .of plural landings which isautomatically unlocked or locked according to whether the cab isopposite to or displaced from a said landing, respectively; and

(b) unitary emergency actuator means located adjacent the well andmounted solely on the well Wall and accessible to a cab occupant, forany location of the cab in the Well, which is operatively connected toat least one of said door lock mechanisms for unlocking same uponactuation by a cab occupant.

I11. In an elevator installation including a cab movable ,in a wellwhich in turn is closed off from a plurality of its landings by doors,the combination comprising:

(a) individual door lock mechanism at each of plural landings which isautomatically unlocked or locked according to Whether the cab isopposite to or displaced fr-om a said landing, respectively;

(b) unitary mechanical actuator means located adjacent the well andmounted solely on the Well wall and extending lengthwise thereof foraccessibility by a cab occupant, for any location of the cab in theReferences Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Mallory 292-244Sundh 187-61 Hubbard 292-73 Lars-on 187-61 Brubaker 187-61 Prince 187-61SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner.

10. IN AN ELEVATOR INSTALLATION INCLUDING A CAB MOVABLE IN A WELL WHICHIN TURN IS CLOSED OFF FROM A PLURALITY OF ITS LANDINGS BY DOORS, THECOMBINATION COMPRISING: (A) INDIVIDUAL DOOR LOCK MECHANISM AT EACH OFPLURAL LANDINGS WHICH IS AUTOMATICALLY UNLOCKED OR LOCKED ACCORDING TOWHETHER THE CAB IS OPPOSITE TO OR DISPLACED FROM A SAID LANDING,RESPECTIVELY; AND (B) UNITARY EMERGENCY ACTUATOR MEANS LOCATED ADJACENTTHE WELL AND MOUNTED SOLELY ON THE WELL WALL AND ACCESSIBLE TO A CABOCCUPANT, FOR ANY LOCATION OF THE CAB IN WELL, WHICH IS OPERATIVELYCONNECTED TO AT LEAST ONE OF SAID DOOR LOCK MECHANISM FOR UNLOCKING SAMEUPON ACTUATION BY A CAB OCCUPANT.